


Thief

by Sobari



Series: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall [2]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Corruption, Dubious description of magic, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Ken is a good big brother, Ken needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:48:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26963176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sobari/pseuds/Sobari
Summary: Visiting Bellwood, Ken decided to spend the day with his cousin. Perhaps, catch up on the things his sister and cousin did. But as he listened to Ben's blabbering, he came to a bitter realization.They don'tneedhim anymore.
Relationships: Ben Tennyson & Gwen Tennyson, Ben Tennyson & Kenneth "Ken" Tennyson, Gwen Tennyson & Kenneth "Ken" Tennyson
Series: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967584
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Thief

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ilovelegendsalot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovelegendsalot/gifts).



> I came back with another drabble! Playing with the bitterness in Ken is fun. For me that is.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Ken stared at the front of a green jacket that belonged to the chattering boy walking backward. Bright green eyes shone with a familiar cocky glint to them that hasn't changed even after all these years.

Ken remembered the face of a small boy, still glued to his mother’s leg. It hadn’t taken Ken long to coax the boy out of his shell, releasing a little devil that talked a mile a minute. He remembered how jealous Gwen was and the times both of them fought over him until he calmed them down.

He was the one who had two pairs of green eyes looking up at him with admiration. He pacified them when their fighting was starting to get out of hand. He _knew_ how to handle them.

He watched the boy in front of him, still chattering excitedly, miming actions from one of his adventures. So familiar and yet, so different. Those green eyes laughed and beamed, looking at him, but not up _at him._

It was the same with Gwen. She no longer looked at him the same way she had in the past. Instead, the cousins that used to fight with every breath they had were now more like siblings than her real brother.

That stung.

How many laughs had Ben pulled out of Gwen? How many times did she go to him for comfort instead of relying on her brother? What had changed?

His eyes focused on the item wrapped around the boy's thin wrist that was waving in the air—something coiled in his chest, smothering slowly.

“You should’ve seen the look on his face!" Ben laughed. "And once again, I saved Earth from another—Woah!" Ben had spun around too quickly and lost his footing.

“Ben!” Ken quickly grabbed Ben’s flailing arm before he tipped over the ledge to the shallow stream running beneath them. He looked into the wide eyes, catching the flicker of fear before it was squashed.

_What if I let him fall?_

The dark thought appeared so suddenly that Ken pulled Ben back onto the stable ground before he knew it.

Ben laughed, rubbing his head. “That was a close one. But I could’ve handled that.”

Ken automatically broke into a smile as he looked at him dubiously. “Sure, you could have.”

There used to be a time when Ben came to him for everything. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that he was at one of Ben’s soccer games. Wasn’t it?

Something hummed under his palm. Looking down, he realized he was holding onto the arm that had the Omnitrix. There was power in this tiny device.

 _Dangerous._ A voice whispered. _But not as powerful as you._

While the Omnitrix was a powerful device, Ben was only human. Blood and bones under all the bravo. It was Gwen that was full of mana under her skin. So, why…

“Ken?”

He blinked down at the confused expression on Ben’s face and realized he had tightened his grip on the boy’s wrist and abruptly let go. He smiled at him and ruffled his hair. “Be more careful, Benji. Even heroes are prone to accidents.”

Ben threw on an air of complaint, saying Ken was still treating him like a ten-year-old. It made him laugh.

“Say, wasn’t Gwen supposed to come with us?” Ken asked. He recalled Gwen mentioning that she would be held up a bit, doing… whatever she was doing.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you.” Ben smiled apologetically at him. “She went with Kevin to go shopping. But she said she’d be home in time for dinner.”

Ken only smiled and nodded and continued accompanying his cousin to Mr. Smoothy. Ken was skilled enough not to let his smile fray at the edges.

**+++**

A small figurine of Ben Tennyson sprung to life, dancing on his palm, unconcern with the lack of space. When it slipped and fell off his hand, he made no move to catch it. It shattered to pieces, lying still on the cold floor of his dorm. The red glow in its’ eyes flickered before it died out.

The only light in the room was the mist of mana that he coaxed to curl around his fingers.

_Clearly, she didn’t care that you were home._

“She was busy.”

 _Nothing important as you._ The voice dripped with pity. _But you’re not important to her anymore. Poor Kenny, no one notices you anymore. No one admires you._

The mist around him flared in tune with his anger. The windows creaked, dangerously close to snapping in half. “Shut up.” He hissed. He clenched his fist around a string of mana and molded it into a sphere. It formed a face before he formed it back into a ball.

The voice laughed again before cooing. _Do you know whose fault it is? Benji-boy overthrew you and replaced you. He took your sister and your parents from under your nose. He stole their love for you, and selfishly holds it in his chest. Glowing on the stage so brightly while you’re in his shadow._

And it was true. If Ben hadn’t put on that cursed watch of his, he wouldn’t have dragged his sister into the life of danger. He wouldn’t have torn her away from him.

“It’s his fault.” He hissed, remembering how a giant dinosaur-like alien got in his way. He nearly didn’t escape with what he came for. He got to his feet, picking up his spellbook with a simple flick of his fingers.

_Yes. Benji’s fault. He stole your sister. Now he wants to take your mirror away, even after he gave it to you. Such a liar. A thief._

He approached his mirror, where two pieces held together on its’ own. His fingers traced the design, finding comfort from it. He closed his eyes and focused, faintly feeling the pull of a missing piece. Find the missing pieces of his mirror was a lot easier now that he had two pieces back in his possession.

He opened his eyes and rolled his neck. He’ll search tomorrow when he slept off the bitterness in his chest. Perhaps, he should keep those three occupied to make sure they don’t cut his search short.

Ken closed his eyes and wait for sleep to claim him. He dreamt of a little girl with hair as red as the sun, running and laughing as he chased after her.


End file.
